A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. A terminal receives first information, the first information being used for requesting capability information of the terminal. The terminal sends second information to a network device, the second information including frequency information corresponding to a first carrier block group supported by the terminal, and including capability information corresponding to the first carrier block group of the terminal. The capability information includes bandwidth information supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group, the first carrier block group including at least one carrier block. The capability information sent by the terminal in the embodiments of the present application includes multiple levels of capability information, with finer granularity, so that the network device can more accurately determine the capability of the terminal, thereby facilitating improvement of the communication performance of the network device and the terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] After a user equipment (UE) establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection with an access network device, the access network device can send an initial UE message to the core network device. The core network device can then determine whether the UE's capability information is stored within it. If the core network device has stored the UE's capability information, it can send this information to the access network device through a context establishment procedure, allowing the access network device to communicate with the UE based on this capability information.

[0003] Alternatively, if the core network device does not store the UE's capability information, it will not send that capability information to the access network device. In this case, the access network device can request the UE to report its capability information, thereby enabling the access network device to communicate with the UE based on that capability information.

[0004] Improving the communication performance between the UE and the network is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving communication performance between a terminal and a network device.

[0006] Firstly, a first communication method is provided, which can be applied to a first device. The first device is, for example, a terminal-side device. This terminal-side device is also referred to as a terminal device. The terminal device is, for example, a terminal equipment, or other equipment including terminal equipment functions, or a circuit, or a system-on-a-chip (or, a chip, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-a-package (SIP) chip) or other functional module, which is capable of implementing the functions of the terminal equipment, and is, for example, disposed in the terminal equipment. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to request capability information of the terminal; and sending second information to a network device, the second information including frequency information corresponding to a first carrier block group supported by the terminal, and capability information of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group, wherein the capability information includes bandwidth information supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group, and the first carrier block group including at least one carrier block.

[0007] In this embodiment, the second information may include capability information of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group. This capability information may include bandwidth information supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group. It can be understood that the second information includes two levels of capability information: one level is the capability information of the terminal corresponding to the carrier block group, and the other level is the capability information of the terminal corresponding to a carrier block within the carrier block group. Therefore, the capability information sent by the terminal in this embodiment has finer granularity, enabling network devices to more accurately determine the terminal's capabilities, thereby improving the communication performance between the network device and the terminal.

[0008] In one optional implementation, the at least one carrier block is used by the network device to configure a serving cell for the terminal, wherein the terminal supports one or more of the at least one carrier block within a serving cell. The network device can configure a serving cell and / or carrier block for the terminal based on the terminal's capability information corresponding to a first carrier block group. For example, the terminal may indicate some or all of the at least one carrier block within a serving cell.

[0009] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information indicating a first working carrier block and a second working carrier block, the first working carrier block and the second working carrier block belonging to a first cell. For example, the network device configures the first cell as the serving cell for the terminal, and within the serving cell, the network device can configure one or more working carrier blocks for the terminal, such as configuring a first carrier block and a second carrier block for the terminal, or it can configure more or fewer carrier blocks for the terminal, which is more flexible.

[0010] In one optional implementation, the frequency of the first carrier block group corresponds to the frequency of the first serving cell, and the at least one carrier block is used by the network device to configure working carrier blocks within the first serving cell for the terminal. Since the frequency of the first carrier block group corresponds to the frequency of the first serving cell, the network device can configure the first serving cell for the terminal and can configure working carrier blocks within the first serving cell for the terminal according to the terminal's capabilities corresponding to the first carrier block group. For example, the network device can configure working carrier blocks within the first serving cell corresponding to the at least one carrier block for the terminal.

[0011] In one optional implementation, the capability information further indicates one or more of the following: the maximum number of cells supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; the maximum processing capacity supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; the subcarrier spacing supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; the capability index of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group; the maximum transmit power supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; the packet information supported by the terminal within the first carrier block group; whether a carrier block within the first carrier block group supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a cell; or, whether a carrier block within the first carrier block group supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a primary cell. The capability information of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group can indicate multiple capabilities, and there is no specific limitation.

[0012] In one optional implementation, the maximum processing capability supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group includes one or more of the following: the maximum number of data blocks that the terminal can process on the first carrier block group; the maximum number of transmission layers that the terminal supports on the first carrier block group; the optimal modulation scheme supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; or, the maximum bandwidth that the terminal supports on the first carrier block group.

[0013] In one optional implementation, the packet information indicates that the terminal supports dividing carrier blocks within the first carrier block group into one or more groups, wherein carrier blocks within the same group in the one or more groups can be configured to the same cell but not to different cells; and / or, all carrier blocks within the same group in the one or more groups correspond to the same timing advance. For example, if the packet information indicates that carrier blocks within the same group can be configured to the same cell but not to different cells, the network device can configure working carrier blocks for the terminal accordingly. For example, if the working carrier blocks corresponding to carrier blocks within the same group are located in one cell, the network device can configure that cell as the serving cell for the terminal, and can configure the working carrier blocks within that cell corresponding to the carrier blocks in the same group to the terminal. This allows the serving cell and / or carrier blocks configured by the network device for the terminal to adapt to the terminal's capabilities or requirements.

[0014] In one optional implementation, the first carrier block is one of the at least one carrier blocks, and the capability information further indicates one or more of the following: the number of transmission layers supported by the first carrier block; the subcarrier spacing supported by the first carrier block; whether the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a cell; whether the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a primary cell; the maximum transmit power supported by the first carrier block; the capability index of the first carrier block; whether the first carrier block supports transmitting or receiving data on non-contiguous frequency domain resources; or, whether the first carrier block supports switching transmission or reception, wherein switching transmission or reception refers to the network device configuring more than one carrier block for the terminal according to the terminal's capabilities, and controlling the terminal to switch between two carrier blocks or receive in parallel. The capability information of the terminal corresponding to a carrier block group may also include the capability information of the terminal corresponding to at least one carrier block in the carrier block group, making the granularity of the capability information finer. Alternatively, the capability information of the terminal corresponding to a specific carrier block in the carrier block group may not be included in the capability information of the terminal corresponding to the carrier block group, but is included as independent information in the second information.

[0015] In one optional implementation, the second information further includes capability information of the terminal corresponding to a first combination, where the first combination includes a first carrier block group and a second carrier block group. The terminal may also support combinations between carrier block groups, and the second information may also indicate the terminal's capability information for the supported combinations. Thus, the second information implements multiple levels of capability indication, enabling network devices to obtain more detailed information about the terminal's capabilities.

[0016] In one alternative implementation, the second information is included in the RRC message. Alternatively, the second information may also be included in other messages, such as MAC CE, etc., without limitation.

[0017] In an optional implementation, the first information further indicates a first frequency range and / or a first quantity, wherein the first frequency range is used to request capability information for carrier block groups within the first frequency range, and the first quantity is used to request capability information for carrier block groups whose number of included carrier blocks is less than or equal to the first quantity. The first information can indicate the needs of the network device, ensuring that the capability information sent by the terminal meets the needs of the network device, which helps reduce the overhead of the second information and reduces the transmission of redundant information.

[0018] Secondly, a second communication method is provided, which can be applied to a second device. The second device is, for example, a network-side device. This network-side device is also referred to as a network device. The network device is, for example, a network equipment, or other equipment including network equipment functions, or a circuit, or a system-on-a-chip (or chip), or other functional module capable of implementing the functions of the network equipment, and is, for example, disposed within the network equipment. The network equipment includes, for example, core network equipment and / or access network equipment, or includes equipment located between the core network and the access network. The access network equipment can be a non-ORAN architecture or an ORAN architecture; or, the access network equipment can be a CU, DU, or RU under an ORAN architecture. The access network equipment is, for example, located on the ground, or the access network equipment is, for example, a satellite, or located on a satellite. The method includes: sending first information, the first information being used to request capability information of a terminal; receiving second information, the second information including frequency information corresponding to a first carrier block group supported by the terminal, and capability information of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group, wherein the capability information includes the bandwidth supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group, and the corresponding carrier block group includes at least one carrier block.

[0019] In one alternative implementation, the at least one carrier block is used to configure a serving cell for the terminal, wherein the terminal supports one or more of the at least one carrier block within a serving cell.

[0020] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending third information indicating a first working carrier block and a second working carrier block, the first working carrier block and the second working carrier block belonging to a first cell.

[0021] In one optional implementation, the frequency of the first carrier block group corresponds to the frequency of the first serving cell, and the at least one carrier block is used by the network device to configure the terminal with a working carrier block in the first serving cell.

[0022] In one optional implementation, the capability information further indicates one or more of the following: the maximum number of cells supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; the maximum processing capacity supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; the maximum number of transmission layers supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group; the subcarrier spacing supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; the capability index of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group; the maximum transmit power supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; the packet information supported by the terminal within the first carrier block group; whether a carrier block within the first carrier block group can be configured as the primary carrier block of a cell; or, whether a carrier block within the first carrier block group can be configured as the primary carrier block of a primary cell.

[0023] In one optional implementation, the maximum processing capability supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group includes one or more of the following: the maximum number of data blocks that the terminal can process on the first carrier block group; the maximum number of transmission layers that the terminal supports on the first carrier block group; the optimal modulation scheme supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; or, the maximum bandwidth that the terminal supports on the first carrier block group.

[0024] In one optional implementation, the grouping information indicates that the terminal supports dividing carrier blocks within the first carrier block group into one or more groups, wherein carrier blocks within the same group in the one or more groups can be configured to the same cell and are not supported to be configured to different cells; and / or, all carrier blocks within the same group in the one or more groups correspond to the same timing advance.

[0025] In one optional implementation, the first carrier block is one of the at least one carrier blocks, and the capability information further indicates one or more of the following: the number of transmission layers supported by the first carrier block; the subcarrier spacing supported by the first carrier block; whether the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a cell; whether the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a primary cell; the maximum transmit power supported by the first carrier block; the capability index of the first carrier block; whether the first carrier block supports transmitting or receiving data on non-contiguous frequency domain resources; or, whether the first carrier block supports switching transmission or reception, wherein switching transmission or reception refers to the network device configuring more than one carrier block according to the carrier block capability of the terminal, and controlling the terminal to switch between two carrier blocks or receive in parallel.

[0026] In one optional implementation, the second information further includes capability information of the terminal corresponding to a first combination, the first combination including a first carrier block group and a second carrier block group.

[0027] In one alternative implementation, the second information is included in the RRC message.

[0028] In an alternative implementation, the first information further indicates a first frequency range and / or a first quantity, wherein the first frequency range is used to request capability information of carrier block groups within the first frequency range, and the first quantity is used to request capability information of carrier block groups whose number of included carrier blocks is less than or equal to the first quantity.

[0029] For the technical effects of the second aspect or various alternative implementation methods, please refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0030] Thirdly, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus can be the first apparatus described in the first aspect above. The apparatus possesses the functions of the first apparatus described above. For example, the apparatus is capable of implementing the functions described in the first aspect above. For instance, the apparatus includes modules, units, or means corresponding to performing the operations involved in the first aspect above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The first apparatus is, for example, a terminal device, or other device including terminal device functions, or a chip system (or chip or circuit) or other functional module. This chip system or functional module can implement the functions of the terminal device, and is, for example, disposed in the terminal device. In one optional implementation, the apparatus includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the apparatus includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can implement both transmitting and receiving functions. When the transceiver unit implements the transmitting function, it can be called a transmitting unit (sometimes also called a transmitting module), and when the transceiver unit implements the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called the transceiver unit. This functional module can realize the transmitting and receiving functions; or, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional modules.

[0031] In one optional implementation, the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to receive first information, the first information being used to request capability information of the terminal; the transceiver unit (or the sending unit) is configured to send second information to the network device, the second information including frequency information corresponding to a first carrier block group supported by the terminal, and capability information of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group, wherein the capability information includes bandwidth information supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group, and the first carrier block group includes at least one carrier block.

[0032] In an alternative embodiment, the device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module), the processing unit being coupled to the storage unit and executing programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the device to perform the functions of the first device described in the first aspect above.

[0033] Fourthly, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus can be the second apparatus described in the second aspect above. The apparatus possesses the functions of the second apparatus described above. For example, the apparatus is capable of implementing the functions described in the second aspect above. For instance, the apparatus includes modules, units, or means corresponding to performing the operations involved in the second aspect above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The second apparatus is, for example, a network device, or other device including network device functions, or a chip system (or chip or circuit) or other functional module capable of implementing the functions of a network device. This chip system or functional module is, for example, disposed within a network device. The network device includes, for example, core network equipment and / or access network equipment, or equipment located between the core network and the access network. In one optional implementation, the apparatus includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the apparatus includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module). For details on the implementation of the transceiver unit, please refer to the relevant description in the third aspect.

[0034] In one optional implementation, the transceiver unit (or the sending unit) is configured to send first information, the first information being used to request capability information of the terminal; the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to receive second information, the second information including frequency information corresponding to a first carrier block group supported by the terminal, and capability information of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group, wherein the capability information includes the bandwidth supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group, and the corresponding carrier block group includes at least one carrier block.

[0035] In an alternative embodiment, the device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module), the processing unit being coupled to the storage unit and executing programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the device to perform the functions of the second device described in the second aspect above.

[0036] Fifthly, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising a memory and one or more processors. The memory is used to store part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the first aspect above. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, such that, when executed, the apparatus implements the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect above.

[0037] In one possible design, the device may further include interface circuitry, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices or components via the interface circuitry.

[0038] In one possible design, the device may also include the memory.

[0039] The aforementioned device may be a terminal device, a communication module in a terminal device, or a chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip that contains a modem module.

[0040] A sixth aspect provides an apparatus comprising a memory and one or more processors. The memory is used to store part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the second aspect above. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, such that, when executed, the apparatus implements the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second aspect above.

[0041] In one possible design, the device may further include interface circuitry, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices or components via the interface circuitry.

[0042] In one possible design, the device may also include the memory.

[0043] The aforementioned device may be a network device, a communication module in a network device, or a chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip that contains a modem module.

[0044] A seventh aspect provides a communication system including a network device. The network device is used to perform the method described in the second aspect, executed by the second means. For example, the network device can be implemented using the means described in the fourth or sixth aspect.

[0045] Optionally, the communication system may further include a terminal. This terminal is used to perform the method described in the first aspect, executed by the first device. For example, the terminal can be implemented using the device described in the third or fifth aspect.

[0046] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method performed by the first or second means in the preceding aspects to be implemented.

[0047] Ninthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, causes the methods described in the above aspects to be implemented.

[0048] In a tenth aspect, a chip system is provided, including a processor and an interface, the processor being configured to call and execute instructions from the interface to enable the chip system to implement the methods described above. Attached Figure Description

[0049] Figure 1 and Figure 2 These are schematic diagrams of two different structures of the access network equipment in the embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of UE carrier aggregation;

[0051] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the capability information sent by the UE;

[0052] Figures 5-6 This is a schematic diagram of two network architectures applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0053] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how a UE can perform discontinuous transmission on the first carrier block in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how a UE can switch between transmitting and receiving between carrier blocks in an embodiment of this application.

[0056] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a combination of carrier block groups supported by the UE in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the second information in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a network device configuring a serving cell and / or carrier block for a UE in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of an apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of another device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0061] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0062] In this application embodiment, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns," that is, "one or more." "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and / or c can mean: a exists alone, b exists alone, c exists alone, a and b exist simultaneously, b and c exist simultaneously, a and c exist simultaneously, or a, b, and c exist simultaneously, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0063] The ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. Furthermore, the numbering of steps in the various embodiments described in this application is only to distinguish different steps and is not used to limit the order in which the steps are performed.

[0064] In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, implicit instruction, etc. When describing a certain instruction information as being used to instruct A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, carries the identifier of A, carries B which is associated with A, carries the identifier of B which is associated with A, etc. In other words, if the receiving side of a certain instruction information can determine A based on the instruction information, it can be described as the instruction information being used to instruct A, and the specific method of determination is not limited. When it is understood that the instruction information carries A, "instruction" or "used to instruct" can be replaced with "includes". In this case, a statement similar to "sending / receiving instruction information, the instruction information being used to instruct A" can be replaced with "sending / receiving A".

[0065] In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission by other units or modules via the air interface. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY by other units or modules via the air interface. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0066] The following explanations of some terms or concepts used in the embodiments of this application are provided to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0067] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver function, which may be a fixed device, a mobile device, a handheld device (e.g., a mobile phone), a wearable device, an in-vehicle device, or a wireless device (e.g., a communication module, a modem, or a chip system, etc.) built into the above devices. The terminal devices are used to connect people, objects, and machines, and can be widely used in various scenarios, including but not limited to the following: sensing scenarios, cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine / machine-type (M2M / MTC) communication, Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical care, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, and terminal devices in indoor commercial scenarios (such as mobile phone screen mirroring, file sharing, and mobile phone to VR glasses). When the terminal equipment is applied to V2X, it can also be called a V2X device, such as a smart car, digital car, unmanned car, driverless car, pilotless car, or automobile, self-driving car, or autonomous car, pure electric vehicle (EV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), range-extended electric vehicle (REEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), new energy vehicle, or roadside unit (RSU). The terminal equipment can also be a device used in D2D communication, such as an electricity meter or water meter.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0069] The various terminal devices described above, if located in a vehicle (e.g., placed inside or installed inside a vehicle), can all be considered in-vehicle terminal devices, also known as on-board units (OBUs). The terminal device of this application can also be an in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the methods of this application through the built-in in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit.

[0070] The terminal equipment may sometimes be referred to as UE, terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, wireless communication equipment, or user equipment, etc.

[0071] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the terminal device function can be a terminal device, which can be a terminal device or a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the example of a terminal device being used to implement the terminal device function is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0072] The network devices in this application embodiment include, for example, access network devices (or access network elements) and / or core network devices (or core network elements). The access network devices are devices with wireless transceiver capabilities, used to communicate with the terminal devices. The access network devices include, but are not limited to, base stations (base transceiver stations (BTS), Node B, evolved Node B (eNodeB) / eNB, or the next generation Node B (gNodeB) / gNB), transmission reception points (TRPs), base stations evolved from the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), access nodes in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. The base stations can be: macro base stations, micro base stations, pico base stations, small cells, relay stations, etc. Multiple base stations can support networks using the same access technology or networks using different access technologies. A base station can contain one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission and reception points. The access network equipment can also be a radio controller, centralized unit (CU), and / or distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radioaccess network (CRAN) scenario. The access network equipment can also be a server, etc. For example, the network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). The following description uses a base station as an example to illustrate the access network equipment. A base station can communicate with a terminal device, or it can communicate with a terminal device through a relay station. A terminal device can communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies. The core network equipment is used to implement functions such as mobility management, data processing, session management, policy and billing. The names of the equipment implementing core network functions may differ in systems using different access technologies; this application does not limit this.Taking the 5th generation (5G) mobile communication technology system as an example, the core network equipment includes, for example, access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF), or user plane function (UPF), etc.

[0073] In a CU-DU architecture, or in an open RAN (ORAN) system, access network equipment may include one or more logical network elements such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs may be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). One possible structure for access network equipment can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 1 Among them, core network equipment and access network equipment can communicate through backhaul links; within access network equipment, CU and DU can communicate through midhaul links, and DU and RU can communicate through fronthaul links.

[0074] Alternatively, another architecture for the access network equipment can be referenced. Figure 2 , Figure 2Taking access network equipment implemented through chips as an example, such as a RAN chip, the RAN chip may include a CU, DU, and RU. The CU can perform L2 and L3 functions, etc.; the DU can perform L1 functions and some L2 functions, etc.; and the RU can perform L1 computing and radio frequency (RF) digital functions, etc. The CU communicates with the core network equipment through a backhaul interface, which carries the traffic between the CU and the core network equipment. The CU may include a central processing unit (CPU) based on x86 or ARM architecture, as well as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), or other accelerators, etc. The CPU and the FPGA, GPU, or other accelerators can communicate through a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface.

[0075] The CU and DU communicate via a midhaul interface, which carries the traffic between the CU and DU. The DU may include an x86 or ARM architecture CPU, as well as FPGAs, GPUs, or other accelerators, which can communicate with the FPGA, GPU, or other accelerators via a PCIe interface.

[0076] The DU and RU communicate via a fronthaul interface, which carries the traffic between the DU and RU. If the access network equipment uses an integrated DU, the integrated DU can include the functions of both the DU and RU, and the RAN may no longer need to include a separate RU. The RU may include a RAN fronthaul processing unit, a digital processing unit, and an RF processing unit. The RAN fronthaul processing unit is implemented, for example, using an FPGA or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The digital processing unit is implemented, for example, using an FPGA or an ASIC.

[0077] The RU can be connected to an antenna to communicate with the UE via the antenna.

[0078] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called an open CU (O-CU), DU can also be called an open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-CP), and RU can also be called an open RU (O-RU). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples in its embodiments. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0079] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, or Physical (PHY) layer). Alternatively, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as one or more of the RLC, MAC, or PHY layers).

[0080] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0081] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0082] In this application embodiment, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a network device can be referred to as a network apparatus. This network apparatus can be a network element, a network device, or an apparatus capable of supporting the network device or network element in implementing the function, such as a chip system. This apparatus can be installed within the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a network device is described as a network apparatus (for example, an apparatus for implementing the functions of an access network apparatus is an access network apparatus, and an apparatus for implementing the functions of a core network apparatus is a core network apparatus).

[0083] The technical features involved in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0084] Carrier aggregation (CA) primarily achieves higher transmission rates by aggregating multiple carriers. CA combines two or more component carriers (CCs) to support a larger transmission bandwidth, such as a maximum bandwidth of 100MHz. To efficiently utilize fragmented spectrum, CA supports aggregation between different CCs. For example, CA can support aggregation between different CCs within the same frequency band, which may or may not be contiguous in the frequency domain. Alternatively, CA can also support aggregation between CCs in different frequency bands. (See reference...) Figure 3 , where 'a' represents the aggregation between CC1 and CC2 within frequency band A, and CC1 and CC2 are continuous in the frequency domain; 'b' represents the aggregation between CC1 and CC3 within frequency band A, and CC1 and CC3 are discontinuous in the frequency domain; and 'c' represents the aggregation between CC1 within frequency band A and CC4 within frequency band B.

[0085] The capability information that a UE sends to the network device may include CA-related capability information. For example, the CA-related capability information of the UE may include the following parts:

[0086] (1) UE-level capabilities (per UE capability).

[0087] (2) Band-level capabilities (per band capabilities). For example, if a UE supports bands 1 to 3, the UE can report the capabilities it supports in each of these three bands, such as the bandwidth, subcarrier spacing (SCS), power, and other parameters supported by the UE in that band.

[0088] (3) Band combination (BC) capability (per BC capability). For example, a UE that supports CA can support CA by combining carriers from multiple bands, or perform CA by aggregating multiple carriers within a band.

[0089] (4) per band per BC refers to the UE’s capability corresponding to a certain band in BC.

[0090] (5)per CC per BC refers to the UE’s capability corresponding to a certain CC in BC.

[0091] For reference Figure 4 This is an example of capability information sent by the UE. Figure 4 Including the capability information at the above levels, for example Figure 4The “per-UE capability” refers to UE-level capabilities, such as one or more of the following: release, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and measurement and mobility capabilities. Figure 4 The “band list” can include X frequency bands, which can include band-level capabilities, such as the UE’s capabilities corresponding to each of the X frequency bands. Figure 4 The "BC list" can include X BCs, where each BC can include multiple frequency bands. For example, BC1 includes frequency band 1 and frequency band 3, and BC X includes frequency band 1 and frequency band 2, etc. The BC list can include per-band per BC capability. For example, frequency bands 1 and 3 in BC1 have per-band per BC capability, and frequency bands 1 and 2 in BC X also have per-band per BC capability. The BC list can also include per-CC per BC capability. For example, band 1 in BC1 includes multiple CCs, and each CC can have per-CC per BC capability. The per-CC per BC capability can also be referred to as the feature set per CC (FSPC).

[0092] In a network architecture with a one-to-one correspondence between cells and carriers, each cell contains only one contiguous carrier. When a UE reports its capabilities, it does so based on the capabilities of each carrier. For example, the format of a UE's capability reporting can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 4 However, this reporting method may not be applicable to other network architectures.

[0093] For example, a novel CA architecture is proposed, under which a single cell can contain multiple carrier blocks. This design can save on cell-level common channel overhead. For instance, in a one-to-one cell-carrier correspondence network architecture, each cell transmits its own common channel (e.g., synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), etc.); while in a network architecture where a single cell can contain multiple carrier blocks, only one carrier block needs to transmit the common channel, and the other carrier blocks can transmit data. Furthermore, in a one-to-one cell-carrier correspondence network architecture, each cell needs to perform a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) individually to obtain its own transport block; while in a network architecture where a single cell can contain multiple carrier blocks, multiple carriers within a single cell can jointly perform the DFT to obtain a single transport block, thus saving DFT processing and control resources to some extent.

[0094] Figure 4 The capability reporting format shown applies to network architectures with a one-to-one correspondence between cells and carriers. For network architectures where a cell can contain multiple carrier blocks, there is no definitive answer as to how the UE should report capabilities.

[0095] Therefore, in this embodiment, the second information may include the UE's capability information corresponding to the first carrier block group. This capability information may include the bandwidth information supported by the UE on each carrier block in the first carrier block group. That is, the UE's capability is reported through the second information. Furthermore, it can be understood that the second information includes two levels of capability information: one level is the UE's capability information corresponding to the carrier block group, and the other level is the UE's capability information corresponding to a carrier block within the carrier block group. It is evident that the granularity of the capability information sent by the UE in this embodiment is relatively fine, enabling the network device to more accurately determine the terminal's capabilities, thereby improving the communication performance between the network device and the UE.

[0096] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to 4G systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, or to 5G systems, such as New Radio (NR) systems, or to next-generation mobile communication systems or other similar communication systems, such as the 6th generation (6G) systems, etc., without specific limitations. Furthermore, while this application describes communication between network devices and UEs as an example, the technical solutions provided in this application can also be used for sidelink (SL) communication between UEs. For example, this technical solution can be applied to D2D scenarios, such as NR-D2D scenarios, or to V2X scenarios, such as NR-V2X scenarios. For example, this application can be used in fields such as factory manufacturing, smart homes, intelligent driving, assisted driving, intelligent connected vehicles, or indoor commercial scenarios.

[0097] Please refer to Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 This includes network devices and UEs, and the UE can send capability information to the network devices in the manner described in the embodiments of this application. Figure 5 Taking one UE and one network device as an example, there is no actual limit to the number of UEs, nor is there a limit to the number of network devices.

[0098] Please refer to this again. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another application scenario of this application embodiment. Figure 6 Includes UE1 and UE2, wherein UE1 can send capability information to UE2 in the manner described in the embodiments of this application.

[0099] The method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In various embodiments of this application, a "carrier block" may refer to a continuous frequency band, and the "carrier block" and the "carrier" may have the same feature, or they may be different features. In the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of this application, all steps indicated by dashed lines are optional steps. The various embodiments herein can be applied to... Figure 5 Given the network architecture shown, the various embodiments in this paper can be derived from... Figure 5 The UE and network devices in the text perform the execution; for example, "UE" in the following text refers to... Figure 5 The UE in this context, referred to as "network device" in the following text, is... Figure 5 Network devices in [the context of this document]. Alternatively, the various embodiments described herein can be applied to [other applications]. Figure 6 Given the network architecture shown, the various embodiments in this paper can be derived from... Figure 6 UE1 and UE2 are executed in this context. In the following sections, we will refer to the applications described in this article. Figure 5The network architecture shown is an example. If we want to apply the solution provided in this article to... Figure 6 The network architecture shown can be replaced with "UE2" in the following text, and "UE" can be replaced with "UE2".

[0100] This application provides a communication method. Please refer to... Figure 7 Here is a flowchart of the method.

[0101] S701, the network device sends the first information. Correspondingly, the UE receives the first information.

[0102] The first message can request the UE's capability information. For example, the first message could be a UE capability inquiry message, or it could be other messages.

[0103] Optionally, the first information may also indicate a first frequency range and / or a first quantity. The first frequency range can be used to request capability information for carrier block groups within the first frequency range, and the first quantity can be used to request capability information for carrier block groups whose number of included carrier blocks is less than or equal to the first quantity. By using the first frequency range and / or the first quantity, the UE can report the capability information required by the network device, making the capability information reported by the UE more targeted.

[0104] For example, the first frequency range means that the frequency range corresponding to each carrier block group reported by the UE must be within the first frequency range. Another example is the first quantity, which means that the number of carrier blocks included in each carrier block group reported by the UE must be less than or equal to the first quantity; or, the first quantity means that the sum of the number of carrier blocks included in all carrier block groups reported by the UE is less than or equal to the first quantity.

[0105] Optionally, the first frequency range may include one or more frequency intervals, which may be continuous or discontinuous in the frequency domain. For example, the first frequency range includes a first frequency interval and a second frequency interval, wherein the first frequency interval includes 500MHz to 700MHz and the second frequency interval includes 2GHz to 3GHz.

[0106] Optionally, the first quantity may include the quantity corresponding to each frequency interval in the one or more frequency intervals. For example, the first quantity may include quantity 1 and quantity 2, where quantity 1 corresponds to the first frequency interval and quantity 2 corresponds to the second frequency interval; for example, quantity 1 is 5 and quantity 2 is 7.

[0107] S702, the UE sends the second information to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information.

[0108] Upon receiving the first information, the UE can send second information to the network device based on the first information. The second information may indicate all or part of the UE's capabilities; for example, the second information may also be called capability information, or it may have other names. Optionally, the second information may be included in an RRC message, or it may be included in messages at other protocol layers, such as MAC control elements (CE), etc., without limitation.

[0109] The UE can support one or more carrier block groups. The second information may include frequency information corresponding to the one or more carrier block groups, as well as capability information of the UE corresponding to the one or more carrier block groups. For example, any one of the one or more carrier block groups is the first carrier block group, and the following description will use the first carrier block group as an example.

[0110] The frequency information corresponding to the first carrier block group is, for example, the frequency range of all carrier blocks included in the first carrier block group. The second information includes, for example, information about the frequency range, such as the start and end frequencies of the frequency range, or the start frequency and bandwidth of the frequency range. The UE can support combinations of one or more carrier block groups. The frequency ranges corresponding to different carrier block groups can be different. For example, the different frequency ranges can overlap. For instance, the frequency ranges corresponding to different carrier block groups can intersect but not overlap, or they can have no overlap. For example, the frequency range corresponding to the first carrier block group is [1GHz, 2GHz], and the frequency range corresponding to the second carrier block group is [3GHz, 5GHz].

[0111] The first carrier block group may include at least one carrier block. Different carrier block groups may include carrier blocks with different frequencies, and the number of carrier blocks in different carrier block groups may be the same or different. For example, the UE supports carrier block group 1 and carrier block group 2. The second information may include frequency information corresponding to carrier block group 1 (e.g., the frequency information indicates that the frequency range of carrier block group 1 is 1GHz to 3GHz) and frequency information corresponding to carrier block group 2 (e.g., the frequency information indicates that the frequency range of carrier block group 2 is...).

[0112] (4GHz~6GHz), and also includes the UE’s capability information corresponding to carrier block group 1 and the UE’s capability information corresponding to carrier block group 2.

[0113] The second information may indicate the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group. For example, the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group may indicate one or more of the following: the maximum number of cells supported by the UE on the first carrier block group, the maximum processing capacity supported by the UE on the first carrier block group, the SCS supported by the UE on the first carrier block group, the capability index of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group, the maximum transmit power supported by the UE on the first carrier block group, the packet information supported by the UE in the first carrier block group, whether the carrier block in the first carrier block group supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a cell, or whether the carrier block in the first carrier block group supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a primary cell.

[0114] The maximum number of cells supported by the UE on the first carrier block group refers to the maximum number of cells to which a carrier block within the first carrier block can be configured. For example, if the maximum number of cells is 2 and there are 5 carrier blocks in the first carrier block group, it means that these 5 carrier blocks can be configured in a maximum of 2 cells. This maximum number of cells allows the network device to configure one or more working carrier blocks for the UE within a single cell, thus enabling the solution in this application embodiment to be applied to network architectures where a cell includes multiple carrier blocks.

[0115] The maximum processing capability supported by the UE on the first carrier block group can refer to the maximum data processing capability of the UE on the first carrier block group. Optionally, the maximum processing capability may include one or more of the following: the maximum number of data blocks that the UE can process on the first carrier block group, the total size of the data blocks that the UE can process on the first carrier block group, the maximum total number of transmission layers that the UE supports on the first carrier block group, the optimal modulation scheme supported by the UE on the first carrier block group, or the maximum total bandwidth supported by the UE on the first carrier block group. The number of transmission layers is, for example, the number of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) layers. The maximum total number of transmission layers supported by the UE on the first carrier block group may refer to, for example, the sum of the maximum number of MIMO layers that the UE can use on all carrier blocks included in the first carrier block group. Regarding the modulation scheme, for example, a higher modulation order generally indicates a better modulation scheme. For example, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) is superior to quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), 256QAM is superior to 16QAM, and so on.

[0116] Optionally, this maximum processing capacity can be combined with the UE's capabilities on each carrier block within the first carrier block group to further determine or limit the UE's capabilities on the first carrier block group, allowing for more rational scheduling of the UE by the network device. This maximum processing capacity may include, for example, the maximum number of transmission layers (or maximum MIMO layers) supported by the UE on the first carrier block group. This maximum number of transmission layers can be combined with the UE's capabilities on each carrier block within the first carrier block group to further limit the total configurable bandwidth and MIMO layers for the UE on the first carrier block group. For example, if the UE supports 4 MIMO layers on each carrier block within the first carrier block group, and the first carrier block group includes 5 carrier blocks, with a maximum MIMO layer count of 14, then the UE cannot support 4 MIMO layers configured on each of the 5 carrier blocks. For example, one configuration that the UE can support on these 5 carrier blocks is: 4-layer MIMO + 2-layer MIMO + 2-layer MIMO + 2-layer MIMO + 4-layer MIMO; or, another configuration that the UE can support on these 5 carrier blocks is: 2-layer MIMO + 4-layer MIMO + 2-layer MIMO + 2-layer MIMO + 4-layer MIMO. In both of these configurations, the configuration capability of the UE on each carrier block does not exceed the capability of the UE corresponding to each carrier block, and the total capability configured for the UE on the first carrier block group does not exceed the maximum processing capability.

[0117] The subcarrier spacing supported by the UE on the first carrier block group is, for example, 30kHz, 60kHz, or 120kHz. If the second information indicates the subcarrier spacing supported by the UE on the first carrier block group, it means that the UE supports that subcarrier spacing on every carrier block in the first carrier block group. By indicating the subcarrier spacing of the UE on the first carrier block group, it is not necessary to indicate the subcarrier spacing for each carrier block in the first carrier group separately, thus reducing the overhead of the second information.

[0118] The UE can have corresponding capability information for one or more supported carrier block groups. For example, the capability information of the UE corresponding to each carrier block group in the one or more carrier block groups can correspond to an index, such as a capability index. This capability index can also be considered to correspond to the carrier block group. For example, each carrier block group supported by the UE can correspond to a capability index, which can indicate the capability information of the UE corresponding to each carrier block group. The capability index can indicate the capability of the corresponding carrier block group, or it can indicate the corresponding carrier block group. For example, if the frequency ranges of two carrier block groups supported by the UE are both within the frequency range of a cell, and the network device configures a working carrier block within that cell for the UE, optionally, the network device can indicate to the UE the carrier block group corresponding to the working carrier block, that is, indicate to the UE which carrier block group's frequency the working carrier block uses. This allows the UE to clearly understand which carrier block group the network device configured the working carrier block based on, and thus be able to use the capabilities of that carrier block group on that working carrier block.

[0119] In this embodiment, the "carrier block" indicated by the capability information reported by the UE may not be an actual carrier block, or it may be understood that the UE did not indicate the frequency or other information of the carrier block. However, the "working carrier block" configured by the network device for the UE may be an actual carrier block with a corresponding frequency.

[0120] The maximum transmit power supported by the UE on the first carrier block group is, for example, the sum of the maximum transmit powers of the UE on all carrier blocks within the first carrier block group. Optionally, this maximum transmit power can be combined with the UE's capabilities on each carrier block within the first carrier block group to further determine or limit the UE's capabilities on the first carrier block group, allowing for more rational scheduling of the UE by the network device. For example, the first carrier block group includes three carrier blocks. The maximum transmit power of the UE on carrier block 1 is 'a', the maximum transmit power on carrier block 2 is 'b', and the maximum transmit power on carrier block 3 is 'c'. The maximum transmit power supported by the UE on the first carrier block group can be less than or equal to a + b + c.

[0121] The grouping information supported by the UE within the first carrier block group can indicate that the UE supports dividing the carrier blocks within the first carrier block group into one or more groups. For example, the grouping information can indicate the carrier blocks included in each of the one or more groups. Optionally, different grouping methods can be used to group the carrier blocks within the first carrier block group. For example, one grouping method includes grouping carrier blocks corresponding to the same time advance (TA) into one group, so that carrier blocks within the same group can all correspond to the same time advance, while carrier blocks in different groups can correspond to different time advances. Another example is grouping carrier blocks that support being configured to the same cell but do not support being configured to different cells into one group, so that carrier blocks within the same group can support being configured to the same cell but do not support being configured to different cells.

[0122] Optionally, carrier blocks corresponding to the same time advance can also be configured to the same cell. Therefore, the grouping purpose of the two grouping methods above can be similar, that is, to group carrier blocks that support being configured to the same cell (optionally, and do not support being configured to different cells) together, thereby facilitating the network device to configure the cell and carrier blocks for the UE.

[0123] Whether a carrier block within the first carrier block group can be configured as the primary carrier block of a cell. In this embodiment, a cell contains multiple carrier blocks (e.g., the carrier blocks included in the cell are referred to as working carrier blocks, which may be carrier blocks with corresponding frequencies), and at least one of these carrier blocks can be configured as the primary carrier block of the cell. For example, the primary carrier block can transmit common reference signals (e.g., SSB and / or cell-specific reference signals (CRS)) and / or system broadcasts. If a carrier block within the first carrier block group can be configured as the primary carrier block of a cell, then if the network device configures a working carrier block corresponding to a carrier block within the first carrier block group for the UE, it can consider configuring that working carrier block as the primary carrier block of the cell where the working carrier block is located. Due to UE design limitations, not every carrier block may have the capability to serve as the primary carrier block of a cell. Therefore, this capability allows the network device to more clearly identify which carrier blocks have the capability to serve as primary carrier blocks.

[0124] Does the carrier block within the first carrier block group support being configured as the primary carrier block of the primary cell? For example, a UE supports carrier aggregation, and the carrier blocks participating in carrier aggregation can belong to one or more cells. One of these one or more cells can be the primary cell, and the other cells can be secondary cells. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a cell may contain multiple carrier blocks (e.g., working carrier blocks), at least one of which can be configured as the primary carrier block of that cell. If the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of the primary cell, then if the network device configures the working carrier block corresponding to a carrier block within the first carrier block group for the UE, it can consider configuring that working carrier block as the primary carrier block of the cell where it resides, and it can also consider configuring that cell as the primary cell of the UE. Due to UE design limitations, not every carrier block may have the capability to serve as the primary carrier block of the primary cell. Therefore, this capability allows the network device to more clearly identify which carrier blocks have the capability to serve as the primary carrier block of the primary cell.

[0125] In addition to the information above, the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group may also include or indicate other information, without limitation.

[0126] Optionally, the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group can also indicate the capability of the UE corresponding to a single carrier block within the first carrier block, making the capability information of the UE more granular, thereby making the cell and / or working carrier block configured by the network device for the UE more reasonable. For example, if the first carrier block is any one of the carrier blocks in the partial or all carrier blocks, the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group can also indicate one or more of the following: the bandwidth supported by the first carrier block, the number of transmission layers supported by the first carrier block, the SCS supported by the first carrier block, whether the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a cell, whether the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a primary cell, the maximum transmit power supported by the first carrier block, the capability index of the first carrier block, whether the first carrier block supports transmitting or receiving data on non-contiguous frequency domain resources, or whether the first carrier block supports handover transmission or reception.

[0127] The bandwidth supported by the first carrier block is, for example, the bandwidth supported by the UE on the first carrier block. For example, the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group can indicate the bandwidth supported on each carrier block in the first carrier block group. For example, the bandwidth supported by the UE on the first carrier block is 100MHz or 50MHz, etc.

[0128] The number of transmission layers supported by the first carrier block is, for example, the number of transmission layers supported by the UE on the first carrier block. The number of transmission layers can also be understood as or replaced by the number of MIMO layers. The number of transmission layers supported by the first carrier block includes, for example, the number of uplink transmission layers and / or the number of downlink transmission layers. Optionally, the number of uplink transmission layers can also be understood as or replaced by the number of transmitters (TXnumber), the number of antennas, or the number of transmit antennas; the number of downlink transmission layers can also be understood as or replaced by the number of receivers (RXnumber), the number of antennas, or the number of receive antennas. For example, if the UE only has one receiver when receiving data on the first carrier block (e.g., the UE only supports using one receiver to receive data on the first carrier block, or the UE has only one receiver), then the UE does not support MIMO when receiving data on the first carrier block (or can be understood as the UE supporting 1 transmission layer or downlink transmission layer on the first carrier block). For example, if a UE has two receivers when receiving data on the first carrier block (e.g., the UE supports using two receivers to receive data on the first carrier block, or the UE has two receivers), then the UE supports MIMO when receiving data on the first carrier block (or, in other words, the UE supports 2 transmission layers or downlink transmission layers on the first carrier block), and so on. The implementation of uplink transmission layers is similar.

[0129] The SCS supported by the first carrier block is, for example, the SCS supported by the UE on the first carrier block. Optionally, if the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group indicates the SCS of the first carrier block group, then the UE can use the SCS for each carrier block within the first carrier block group, and the capability information does not need to indicate the SCS of a single carrier block. Alternatively, if the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group does not indicate the SCS of the first carrier block group, then the capability information can indicate the SCS of a single carrier block, making the implementation of the SCS more flexible. The SCS of the UE for different carrier blocks can be the same or different.

[0130] Does the first carrier block support being configured as the primary carrier block of a cell? In this embodiment, a cell contains multiple carrier blocks (e.g., working carrier blocks), at least one of which can be configured as the primary carrier block of the cell. For example, the primary carrier block can transmit common reference signals (e.g., SSB and / or CRS) and / or system broadcasts. If the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a cell, then if the network device configures the working carrier block corresponding to the first carrier block for the UE, it can consider configuring the working carrier block as the primary carrier block of the cell where the working carrier block is located. Due to UE design limitations, not every carrier block may have the capability to serve as the primary carrier block of a cell. Therefore, this capability allows the network device to more clearly identify which carrier blocks have the capability to serve as the primary carrier block.

[0131] Does the first carrier block support being configured as the primary carrier block of a primary cell? For example, a UE supports carrier aggregation, and the carrier blocks participating in carrier aggregation can belong to one or more cells. One of these one or more cells can be the primary cell, and the other cells can be secondary cells. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a cell may contain multiple carrier blocks (e.g., working carrier blocks), at least one of which can be configured as the primary carrier block of that cell. If the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of a primary cell, then if the network device configures the working carrier block corresponding to the first carrier block for the UE, it can consider configuring the working carrier block as the primary carrier block of the cell where the working carrier block resides, and it can consider configuring that cell as the primary cell of the UE. Due to UE design limitations, not every carrier block may have the capability to be the primary carrier block of a primary cell; therefore, this capability allows the network device to more clearly identify which carrier blocks have the capability to be the primary carrier block of a primary cell.

[0132] The maximum transmit power supported by the first carrier block, for example, the maximum transmit power supported by the UE on the first carrier block.

[0133] Capability Index of the First Carrier Block. The UE can support one or more carrier block groups, and all carrier blocks within those groups. For each carrier block in the supported partial or complete carrier blocks, the UE can have corresponding capability information. For example, the capability information of the UE corresponding to each carrier block in those partial or complete carrier blocks can correspond to an index, such as a capability index. This capability index can also be considered to correspond to the carrier block. For example, each carrier block supported by the UE can correspond to a capability index, which can indicate the capability information of the UE corresponding to each carrier block. The capability index can indicate the capability of the corresponding carrier block, or it can indicate the corresponding carrier block itself. For example, if the frequency ranges of two carrier blocks supported by the UE are both within the frequency range of a cell, and the network device configures a working carrier block within that cell for the UE, optionally, the network device can indicate to the UE the carrier block corresponding to the working carrier block, so that the UE can clearly understand which carrier block the network device configured the working carrier block on, and thus use the capability of that carrier block.

[0134] For example, after receiving the second information, the network device can configure a cell (e.g., configure one or more serving cells) and / or configure working carrier blocks for the UE (e.g., configure one or more working carrier blocks for the UE within each of the one or more serving cells). When the network device configures a serving cell for the UE, it can send the capability index corresponding to the working carrier block configured for the UE within that serving cell to the UE. The UE can then determine which carrier block's capability should be used for that working carrier block based on the capability index. Without this capability index, the UE might need to traverse all the carrier blocks it supports to determine which carrier block's capability should be used for each working carrier block configured in the serving cell. This capability index simplifies the UE's carrier block determination process.

[0135] Whether the first carrier block supports transmitting or receiving data on discontinuous frequency domain resources, for example, whether the UE supports transmitting or receiving data on discontinuous frequency domain resources of the first carrier block. For example, the bandwidth of the first carrier block is 100MHz, and the bandwidths of the signals to be received are 30MHz and 40MHz, respectively. There is a 20MHz bandwidth between these 30MHz and 40MHz where there is no valid signal and / or there is interference signal, that is, there is a 20MHz gap. The total bandwidth of the signals to be received can be regarded as 100MHz. Optionally, if the UE has interference processing capability on the first carrier block and can eliminate or reduce interference on the first carrier block to achieve reception of valid signals, then the UE can support transmitting or receiving data on discontinuous frequency domain resources of the first carrier block; however, if the UE does not have interference processing capability or has poor interference processing capability on the first carrier block and cannot eliminate or reduce interference on the first carrier block, then the UE may not support transmitting or receiving data on discontinuous frequency domain resources of the first carrier block. Optionally, if the UE supports transmitting or receiving data on non-contiguous frequency domain resources of the first carrier block, the UE's capability information corresponding to the first carrier block may also indicate information such as maximum interval bandwidth and / or maximum interference strength. Here, maximum interval bandwidth refers to the maximum bandwidth of the gap between valid signals, and maximum interference strength refers to the maximum interference strength on the gap between valid signals. When configuring a cell and / or a working carrier block for the UE, if the network device considers that the maximum bandwidth of a gap on a certain working carrier block is less than or equal to the maximum interval bandwidth supported by the UE, and / or considers that the interference signal strength corresponding to the gap on the working carrier block is less than or equal to the maximum interference strength, then it may consider configuring that working carrier block for the UE; otherwise, it may not configure that working carrier block for the UE.

[0136] For reference Figure 8 This is an example of how the UE can transmit or receive data on non-contiguous frequency domain resources in the first carrier block. Figure 8 Including the first carrier block, the UE can support reception in frequency range a and frequency range c of the first carrier block, and frequency range b is a gap, where interference signals can be considered to exist.

[0137] Whether the first carrier block supports handover transmission or reception, for example, whether the UE supports handover transmission or reception on the first carrier block. Handover transmission or reception refers to the network device configuring at least two carrier blocks for the UE based on the UE's capabilities and controlling the UE to switch between these at least two carrier blocks, or to receive in parallel on these at least two carrier blocks. For example, the UE's capability information corresponding to the first carrier block can indicate the number of transport layers the UE supports switching on the first carrier block, thus indicating whether the first carrier block supports handover transmission or reception. For example, this capability information could indicate whether the UE supports switching at four transport layers and / or whether it supports switching at two transport layers on the first carrier block, etc. Taking downlink transmission as an example, suppose the UE only supports receiving one carrier block (transmission layer number 4, or 4MIMO), but the network device has two working carrier blocks (e.g., working carrier blocks C5 and C6) that can be configured for the UE. The network device can configure either C5 or C6 for the UE, or it can configure both C5 and C6. At a certain time, the UE can use all its 4MIMO capabilities on C5 for reception, and not on C6; at the next time, it can switch all its 4MIMO capabilities to C6 for reception, and not on C5. In other words, it can switch between receiving on C5 and C6. (See reference...) Figure 9 Alternatively, the UE can place 2 MIMO capabilities from the 4 MIMO capability on C5 for reception, and the remaining 2 MIMO capability on C6 for reception. This way, the UE can achieve parallel reception without switching between C5 and C6. Further reference is available. Figure 9 If a UE needs to switch between carrier blocks for transmission or reception, the specific switching time can be indicated by the network device or determined by the UE itself. Taking network device indication as an example, the network device can determine the switching time based on channel conditions and / or service requirements on each carrier block. For instance, if the channel conditions on a certain carrier block are poor during a certain period, such as low transmission rate, high load, or congestion, the network device can instruct the UE to switch to another carrier block for transmission. As another example, if a certain service has high latency requirements, the network device can instruct the UE to switch to a carrier block with lower load and / or higher bandwidth for transmission.

[0138] Optionally, the second information may further include capability information of the UE corresponding to the first combination, whereby the first combination may include at least two carrier block groups, such as a first carrier block group and a second carrier block group. Optionally, the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first combination may also be included in the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group, or it may be independent of the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group. Alternatively, the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first combination may include capability information of the UE corresponding to some or all of the carrier block groups in the first combination; for example, the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first combination may include the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group.

[0139] The UE supports one or more carrier block groups. Within these carrier block groups, the UE may also support combinations of some or all of them. Therefore, the second information may further include the UE's capability information corresponding to at least one combination, where the first combination is, for example, one of the combinations. The carrier block groups included in different combinations may or may not overlap. For example, a carrier block group supported by the UE may be included only in one combination supported by the UE, or it may be included in multiple combinations supported by the UE, or it may not be included in any combination supported by the UE. (See reference...) Figure 10 An example of at least one combination supported by the UE. Figure 10 Taking the UE as an example, which supports three combinations, carrier block group 1 (corresponding to frequency range 1) and carrier block group 2 (corresponding to frequency range 2) are one combination, carrier block group 1 (corresponding to frequency range 1) and carrier block group 3 (corresponding to frequency range 3) are one combination, and carrier block group 2 (corresponding to frequency range 2) and carrier block group 3 (corresponding to frequency range 3) are another combination.

[0140] For reference Figure 11 This is an example of the second information in the embodiments of this application. Figure 11 Taking a UE supporting a first carrier block group and a second carrier block group as an example, and taking a UE supporting a combination of the first carrier block group and the second carrier block group as an example (e.g.) Figure 11 The first combination in the middle). Figure 11 The second information may include capability information of the UE corresponding to a first carrier block group, and capability information of the UE corresponding to a second carrier block group. The first carrier block group may include at least one carrier block, and the capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group may include capability information of the UE corresponding to each carrier block in some or all of the at least one carrier block. Figure 11Taking the UE's capability information corresponding to the first carrier block group as an example (e.g., the first carrier block group includes P carrier blocks), the UE's capability information corresponding to the second carrier block group may include the UE's capability information corresponding to some or all of the carrier blocks in the at least one carrier block. Figure 11 Taking the capability information of the UE corresponding to the second carrier block group as an example, including the capability information of the UE corresponding to each carrier block therein (for example, the second carrier block group includes L carrier blocks). Figure 11 In the text, the UE can support both the first and second combinations, but no specific examples are provided for the capability information corresponding to the second combination.

[0141] Optionally, the method may further include S703, whereby the network device sends third information, and the UE receives the third information accordingly. The third information may indicate the serving cell and / or working carrier block configured by the network device for the UE.

[0142] The network device can configure one or more serving cells and / or one or more working carrier blocks for the UE based on the second information. The one or more working carrier blocks can belong to the one or more serving cells; for example, each serving cell may include at least one working carrier block from the one or more working carrier blocks. For example, if the third information indicates a first working carrier block and a second working carrier block, and the first and second working carrier blocks belong to a first cell, it indicates that the network device configures the first cell as the serving cell for the UE and assigns the first and second working carrier blocks within the first cell to the UE. As another example, if the third information indicates a first working carrier block, and the first working carrier block belongs to a first cell, it indicates that the network device configures the first cell as the serving cell for the UE and assigns the first working carrier block within the first cell to the UE. As yet another example, if the third information indicates a first working carrier block and a second working carrier block, and the first working carrier block belongs to a first cell and the second working carrier block belongs to a second cell, it indicates that the network device configures both the first and second cells as the serving cells for the UE and assigns the first working carrier block within the first cell and the second working carrier block within the second cell to the UE. For example, the third information indicates the first working carrier block, the second working carrier block, and the third working carrier block. The first working carrier block belongs to the first cell, and the second and third working carrier blocks belong to the second cell. This indicates that the network device configures the first and second cells as the serving cells of the UE, and assigns the first working carrier block in the first cell, the second working carrier block in the second cell, and the third working carrier block to the UE.

[0143] There are several ways for a network device to configure the serving cell and / or carrier block for the UE based on the second information.

[0144] For example, the second information indicates that the UE supports a first carrier block group, which includes at least one carrier block. This at least one carrier block can be used to configure a serving cell for the UE. Within a serving cell, the UE can support one or more of the at least one carrier block. For example, if the frequency range corresponding to the first carrier block group is within the frequency range of a certain cell, the network device can configure that cell as a serving cell for the UE, for example, referred to as the first serving cell. If the UE supports, for example, five carrier blocks within the first carrier block group, and the first serving cell includes three working carrier blocks, the network device can configure all three working carrier blocks within the first serving cell to the UE.

[0145] For example, the UE supports a combination of carrier block group 1 (frequency range 1GHz–3GHz) and carrier block group 2 (frequency range 3GHz–6GHz). The UE supports 5 carrier blocks in carrier block group 1 and 3 carrier blocks in carrier block group 2. The network equipment has deployed two cells: cell 1 has a frequency range of 1GHz–3GHz, including 4 working carrier blocks; cell 2 has a frequency range of 4GHz–6GHz, including 4 carrier blocks. It is evident that the frequency range of carrier block group 1 matches that of cell 1. The UE supports 5 carrier blocks in carrier block group 1, while cell 1 only has 4 working carrier blocks. Therefore, the network equipment can select 4 carrier blocks from the 5 carrier blocks in carrier block group 1 and configure the UE with the 4 working carrier blocks in cell 1 according to the capabilities of these 4 carrier blocks. That is, these 4 working carrier blocks correspond to the capabilities of the 4 carrier blocks in carrier block group 1. Optionally, the network device can indicate cell 1 (i.e., cell 1 can serve as the UE's serving cell) and the capability index of the four carrier blocks within carrier block group 1 to the UE via third information. Furthermore, the frequency range of carrier block group 2 matches the frequency range of cell 2. The UE supports three carrier blocks in carrier block group 2, while cell 2 has four working carrier blocks. Therefore, the network device can configure only the three working carrier blocks in cell 2 for the UE; alternatively, the network device can configure all four carrier blocks in cell 2 for the UE, but for two of these carrier blocks, the UE needs to switch between receiving and transmitting (refer to the previous section on UE capabilities). Optionally, the network device can indicate cell 2 (i.e., cell 2 can serve as the UE's serving cell) to the UE via third information. In summary, the serving cell and / or carrier block configured by the network device for the UE may include cell 1 (C1+C2+C3+C4) + cell 2 (C5+C7+C8); or, the serving cell and / or carrier block configured by the network device for the UE may include cell 1 (C1+C2+C3+C4) + cell 2 (C5 / C6 (switching between these two carrier blocks for transmission or reception) + C7+C8). Here, C1 to C4 represent the four working carrier blocks within cell 1, and C5 to C8 represent the four working carrier blocks within cell 2. For more information, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 12 ,in Figure 12 In this context, C11 to C15 represent the 5 carrier blocks in carrier block group 1, and C16 to C18 represent the 3 carrier blocks in carrier block group 2.

[0146] The example above does not consider the bandwidth supported by the UE for specific carriers within a carrier block group. If the second information indicates the bandwidth supported by the UE for some or all carriers within the carrier block group, the network device can also consider bandwidth when configuring the serving cell and / or working carrier blocks for the UE. For example, the second information indicates the bandwidth supported by the UE for each carrier block within carrier block group 1, such as 100MHz. Cell 1 has four working carrier blocks, two of which have a bandwidth of 100MHz, the third has a bandwidth of 50MHz, and the fourth has a bandwidth of 150MHz. Given that the bandwidth of the fourth working carrier block does not meet the bandwidth requirement of any carrier block within carrier block group 1 (e.g., if the bandwidth of a working carrier block is greater than the bandwidth of a carrier block, it indicates that the bandwidth of that working carrier block does not meet the bandwidth requirement), the network device can configure only the first three working carrier blocks in cell 1 for the UE, without configuring the fourth working carrier block in cell 1 for the UE. Alternatively, when configuring a fourth working carrier block for a UE based on its ability to support 100MHz carrier blocks, the network device may configure only the bandwidth within 100MHz of that fourth working carrier block as the working carrier block configured for the UE (i.e., the entire 150MHz bandwidth may not be used as the bandwidth of the UE's working carrier block, but rather the bandwidth of the UE's working carrier block may be smaller than that of the cell's working carrier block). Furthermore, if the second information indicates additional capabilities for the UE, the network device may consider these capabilities when configuring the serving cell and / or carrier block for the UE, without restriction.

[0147] In this embodiment, the second information may include capability information of the UE corresponding to the first carrier block group. This capability information may include bandwidth information supported by the UE on each carrier block in the first carrier block group. It can be understood that the second information includes two levels of capability information: one level is the capability information of the UE corresponding to the carrier block group, and the other level is the capability information of the UE corresponding to a carrier block within the carrier block group. Therefore, the capability information sent by the UE in this embodiment has finer granularity, enabling the network device to more accurately determine the UE's capabilities, thereby improving the communication performance between the network device and the UE. Furthermore, this embodiment can be applied to network architectures with a one-to-one correspondence between cells and carriers (or carrier blocks), and also to network architectures where a cell includes multiple carrier blocks. The second information can indicate the capability information of the UE corresponding to a specific carrier block. Even in a network architecture where a cell includes multiple carrier blocks, the UE capabilities in this embodiment can be refined to the carrier block granularity, allowing the network device to obtain more complete UE capabilities, thereby more rationally configuring the serving cell and / or carrier block for the UE.

[0148] Figure 13A schematic diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of this application is given. The communication device 1300 may be... Figure 7 The network device or its circuitry described in the illustrated embodiment is used to implement the method corresponding to the network device in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1300 may be... Figure 7 The UE or its circuit system described in the illustrated embodiment is used to implement the method corresponding to the UE in the above method embodiments. For example, one type of circuit system is a chip system.

[0149] The communication device 1300 includes at least one processor 1301. The processor 1301 can be used for internal processing within the device to implement certain control processing functions. Optionally, the processor 1301 includes instructions. Optionally, the processor 1301 can store data. Optionally, different processors can be independent devices, located in different physical locations, or located on different integrated circuits. Optionally, different processors can be integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more integrated circuits.

[0150] Optionally, the communication device 1300 includes one or more memories 1303 for storing instructions. Optionally, the memories 1303 may also store data. The processor and the memories may be separate or integrated together.

[0151] Optionally, the communication device 1300 includes a communication line 1302 and at least one communication interface 1304. Since the memory 1303, communication line 1302, and communication interface 1304 are all optional, therefore... Figure 13 All are represented by dashed lines.

[0152] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may further include a transceiver and / or an antenna. The transceiver can be used to send information to or receive information from other devices. The transceiver may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver circuit, input / output interface, etc., and is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device 1300 via the antenna. Optionally, the transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. For example, the transmitter can be used to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal from a baseband signal, and the receiver can be used to convert the RF signal back into a baseband signal.

[0153] Processor 1301 may include a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs according to the present application.

[0154] Communication line 1302 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components.

[0155] Communication interface 1304 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wired access network, etc.

[0156] The memory 1303 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 1303 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 1301 via communication line 1302. Alternatively, the memory 1303 may be integrated with the processor 1301.

[0157] The memory 1303 stores computer execution instructions for implementing the scheme of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 1301. The processor 1301 executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1303, thereby realizing... Figure 7 The steps performed by the UE or network device as described in the illustrated embodiments.

[0158] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as application code, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0159] In a specific implementation, as one example, the processor 1301 may include one or more CPUs, for example... Figure 13 CPU0 and CPU1 in the CPU.

[0160] In a specific implementation, as one example, the communication device 1300 may include multiple processors, for example... Figure 13 Processors 1301 and 1305 are mentioned. Each of these processors can be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor here can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used to process data (such as computer program instructions).

[0161] when Figure 13 When the device shown is a chip, such as a network device chip or a UE chip, the chip includes a processor 1301 (and may also include a processor 1305), a communication line 1302, and a communication interface 1304. Optionally, it may include a memory 1303. Specifically, the communication interface 1304 may be an input interface, pins, or circuits, etc. The memory 1303 may be a register, cache, etc. The processor 1301 and processor 1305 may be a general-purpose CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of a program that controls the communication method of any of the above embodiments.

[0162] This application embodiment can divide the device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. The module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; in actual implementation, other division methods may be used. For example, in the case of dividing the device into functional modules corresponding to each function... Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of an apparatus. The apparatus 1400 may be a network device or UE involved in the above-described method embodiments, or a chip in a network device or a chip in a UE. The apparatus 1400 includes a processing unit 1402 and a transceiver unit 1401. Given that the apparatus 1400 in the embodiments of this application can implement a communication method, the apparatus 1400 may also be referred to as a communication apparatus.

[0163] It should be understood that the device 1400 can be used to implement the steps performed by the network device or UE in the communication method of the embodiments of this application, and the relevant features can be referred to above. Figure 7 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0164] Optional, Figure 14 The functions / implementation process of the transceiver unit 1401 and the processing unit 1402 can be obtained through Figure 13 The processor 1301 in the memory calls computer execution instructions stored in memory 1303 to implement the function. Alternatively, Figure 14 The function / implementation process of the processing unit 1402 can be achieved through... Figure 13 The processor 1301 in the memory calls computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1303 to achieve this. Figure 14 The function / implementation process of the transceiver unit 1401 can be obtained through Figure 13 It is implemented using the communication interface 1304.

[0165] Optionally, when the device 1400 is a chip or circuit, the function / implementation process of the transceiver unit 1401 can also be implemented through pins or circuits. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1401 may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit, whereby the transmitting unit implements the transmitting function and the receiving unit implements the receiving function; or, the transceiver unit 1401 may be an integral module capable of implementing both transmitting and / or receiving functions. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1401 can be implemented using a transceiver.

[0166] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the methods performed by the network device and / or UE in the aforementioned method embodiments. Thus, the functions described in the above embodiments can be implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to it, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0167] This application also provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method executed by the network device and / or UE in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0168] This application also provides a processing apparatus, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used to execute the methods performed by the network device and / or UE involved in any of the above method embodiments.

[0169] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0170] The various illustrative logic units and circuits described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or operate the described functions using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor; alternatively, it can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented using a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0171] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in the embodiments of this application can be directly embedded in hardware, software units executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software units can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can be disposed in an ASIC, which can be disposed in the terminal device. Optionally, the processor and storage medium can also be disposed in different components of the terminal device.

[0172] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0173] The contents of the various embodiments of this application can be referenced to each other. Unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0174] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the network device and / or UE may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples. In the embodiments of this application, other operations or variations of various operations may also be performed. Furthermore, the steps may be performed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to perform all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive first information, which is used to request the terminal's capability information; Send second information to the network device. The second information includes frequency information corresponding to a first carrier block group supported by the terminal, and capability information of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group. The capability information includes bandwidth information supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group, and the first carrier block group includes at least one carrier block.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one carrier block is used by the network device to configure a serving cell for the terminal, wherein the terminal supports one or more of the at least one carrier block within a serving cell.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third information, the third information indicating a first working carrier block and a second working carrier block, the first working carrier block and the second working carrier block belonging to a first cell.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The frequency of the first carrier block group corresponds to the frequency of the first serving cell, and the at least one carrier block is used by the network device to configure the working carrier block in the first serving cell for the terminal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The capability information also indicates one or more of the following: The terminal supports a maximum number of cells on the first carrier block group; The maximum processing capacity supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; The subcarrier spacing supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; The terminal corresponds to the capability index of the first carrier block group; The maximum transmit power supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; The terminal supports packet information within the first carrier block group; Whether the carrier blocks in the first carrier block group can be configured as the primary carrier blocks of the cell; or, Whether the carrier blocks in the first carrier block group support being configured as the primary carrier block of the primary cell.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The maximum processing capability supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group includes one or more of the following: The terminal supports processing the maximum number of data blocks on the first carrier block group; The terminal supports a maximum number of transmission layers on the first carrier block group; The optimal modulation scheme supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; or, The maximum bandwidth supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The grouping information indicates that the terminal supports dividing the carrier blocks within the first carrier block group into one or more groups, wherein... Carrier blocks within the same group of one or more groups can be configured to the same cell but not to different cells; and / or All carrier blocks within the same group in one or more groups correspond to the same timing advance.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first carrier block is one of the at least one carrier blocks, and the capability information also indicates one or more of the following: The number of transmission layers supported by the first carrier block; The subcarrier spacing supported by the first carrier block; Does the first carrier block support being configured as the primary carrier block of the cell? Whether the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of the primary cell; The maximum transmit power supported by the first carrier block; Capability index of the first carrier block; Does the first carrier block support transmitting or receiving data on non-contiguous frequency domain resources; or, Whether the first carrier block supports switching transmission or reception, wherein switching transmission or reception means that the network device configures more than one carrier block for the terminal according to the terminal's capabilities, and controls the terminal to switch between two carrier blocks or receive in parallel.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The second information also includes the terminal's capability information corresponding to the first combination, the first combination including the first carrier block group and the second carrier block group.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The second information is included in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first information also indicates a first frequency range and / or a first quantity, wherein the first frequency range is used to request capability information of carrier block groups within the first frequency range, and the first quantity is used to request capability information of carrier block groups whose number of included carrier blocks is less than or equal to the first quantity.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a first message, which is used to request the terminal's capability information; The terminal receives second information, which includes frequency information corresponding to a first carrier block group supported by the terminal, and capability information of the terminal corresponding to the first carrier block group. The capability information includes the bandwidth supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group, and the corresponding carrier block group includes at least one carrier block.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The at least one carrier block is used to configure a serving cell for the terminal, wherein the terminal supports one or more of the at least one carrier block within a serving cell.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third message is sent, indicating a first working carrier block and a second working carrier block, which belong to a first cell.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, The frequency of the first carrier block group corresponds to the frequency of the first serving cell, and the at least one carrier block is used by the network device to configure the working carrier block in the first serving cell for the terminal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that, The capability information also indicates one or more of the following: The terminal supports a maximum number of cells on the first carrier block group; The maximum processing capacity supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; The maximum number of transmission layers supported by the terminal on each carrier block in the first carrier block group; The subcarrier spacing supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; The terminal corresponds to the capability index of the first carrier block group; The maximum transmit power supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; The terminal supports packet information within the first carrier block group; Whether the carrier blocks in the first carrier block group can be configured as the primary carrier blocks of the cell; or, Whether the carrier blocks in the first carrier block group support being configured as the primary carrier block of the primary cell.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The maximum processing capability supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group includes one or more of the following: The terminal supports processing the maximum number of data blocks on the first carrier block group; The terminal supports a maximum number of transmission layers on the first carrier block group; The optimal modulation scheme supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group; or, The maximum bandwidth supported by the terminal on the first carrier block group.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The grouping information indicates that the terminal supports dividing the carrier blocks within the first carrier block group into one or more groups, wherein... Carrier blocks within the same group of one or more groups can be configured to the same cell but not to different cells; and / or All carrier blocks within the same group in one or more groups correspond to the same timing advance.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that, The first carrier block is one of the at least one carrier blocks, and the capability information also indicates one or more of the following: The number of transmission layers supported by the first carrier block; The subcarrier spacing supported by the first carrier block; Does the first carrier block support being configured as the primary carrier block of the cell? Whether the first carrier block supports being configured as the primary carrier block of the primary cell; The maximum transmit power supported by the first carrier block; Capability index of the first carrier block; Does the first carrier block support transmitting or receiving data on non-contiguous frequency domain resources; or, Whether the first carrier block supports switching transmission or reception, wherein switching transmission or reception means that the network device is configured to configure more than one carrier block according to the carrier block capability of the terminal, and controls the terminal to switch between two carrier blocks or receive in parallel.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that, The second information also includes the terminal's capability information corresponding to the first combination, the first combination including the first carrier block group and the second carrier block group.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 20, characterized in that, The second information is included in the RRC message.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The first information also indicates a first frequency range and / or a first quantity, wherein the first frequency range is used to request capability information of carrier block groups within the first frequency range, and the first quantity is used to request capability information of carrier block groups whose number of included carrier blocks is less than or equal to the first quantity.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor, which is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22 to be performed.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22.

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